F2000 HG659b modem Poor WiFi performance

peter_h1979

I recently changed from Virgin to Pure (FTTH open eir network) so far I'm happy enough. While connected directly to the router I'm getting close to 500 download. However I noticed that WIFI performance is not as good as the Virgin hub 3 in terms of speed and range. Now don't get me wrong its still acceptable and I'm getting twice the speed (while connected directly) at half the cost its just the router (F2000 model HG659b modem) doesn't seem to perform quite as well from a wireless perspective compared to the hub 3.

If I got mesh system (or just a good access point) and disabled the wireless on the F2000 would I see an improvement? Please note that we are also using the F2000 for VOIP so we will not be replacing it.

alec76

F2000 is a garbage, Eir not supplying those routers to their own customers anymore.

Pure have a choice of two routers at least : F2000 and Fritzbox 7530.

last one much better , probably better than Virgin Hub too.

Why wouldn’t you complain to Pure CS and see if they replace it with Fritzbox 7530?

ps . You definitely see improvement with better AP or good Mesh System.

peter_h1979

Thanks for your reply. I was considering getting this

https://www.currys.ie/ieen/computing-accessories/networking/whole-home-wi-fi-systems/tp-link-deco-m5-whole-home-wifi-system-twin-pack-10189878-pdt.html?from=kelkoo&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-qGNBhD3ARIsAO_o7ylFBo_HCR4p2HikKnsRLLwsPGmJgCwx_gSHV7GSNCyA5FTTlFQMTb8aAmu_EALw_wcB

I've setup M4 in may parents house and they seem to work pretty well.

In theory AC1300 should be more than enough for a 500 download (I will also consider calling pure and get the fritzbox instead just wondering are the M5's a good option if I'm stuck with the F2000).

Again to be fair to Pure directly connected I'm consistently getting between 460 and 470 download which I'm pretty happy with.

alec76

Stay away from Deco .

M5 only good for up to 150 Mbps wireless speeds.

Don't trust those numbers , real life quite different.

Two of those might gives you 500 Mbps speeds .

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Google-GA00595-GB-Nest-Router/dp/B07YSXZ7QD/ref%3Dmp_s_a_1_3?crid=3TIK8AWGZZMS7&keywords=nest+wifi&qid=1638459900&sprefix=nest+wif%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-3

Orbi RBK50 ( used to be £160 at Amazon warehouse ) even better option

peter_h1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118257539#Comment_118257539

Mmm. Okay the house is small and at the moment with the F2000 I'm getting aprox 150 in my office which is more than enough for my needs but I was getting closer 200+ with the VM hub. Might try the nest router downstairs to try and at least max out the WIFI there and maybe add a second unit down the road. I looked up Orbi and it looks a bit out of my price range.

Ah-Watch

I too would ask Pure for the Fritzbox. The F2000 is absolute junk and I'd put money on your speeds/service being better with the Fritzbox.

alec76

Fritzbox capable of 500+ Mbps wireless speeds.

Couldn't you just make a complain about constant WiFi dropping and ask Fritzbox instead?

Orbi still cheap at German warehouse

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Tri-Band-Satellite-Repeater-coverage-RBK50-100PES/dp/B01KJ59JBG/ref%3Dsr_1_3?crid=58HA7BL9DY3M&keywords=orbi%2Brbk50&qid=1638462934&s=computers&sprefix=orbi%2Brbk%2Caps%2C222&sr=1-3&th=1

€188 used stock plus €11 shipping from Amazon.de warehouse.

Don't get me wrong , Nest WiFi is terrific router and 1 unit definitely capable of 600-650 wireless speeds.

If you create a mesh then some of this bandwidth have to be used to create service wireless link between 2 units ( call backhaul) . So you'll finish up with 400-450 Mbps for the clients.

Orbi have dedicated wireless backhaul 4x4 MIMO , so it could create 1gbit wireless service link between 2 unit and you still have separate radio for the clients 2x2 MIMO ( 600-650 wireless speeds )

If you could connect 2 Nest with the Ethernet cable then you won't be wasting bandwidth for the service link and it would be probably better choice then Orbi .

If you don't have Landline with Pure , then you could get rid ISP router altogether.

Orbi could be connected directly to fiber box ( ONT )

NEST WiFi DOESN'T support VLan tagging , it won't work directly from ONT.

Unless you add managed ethernet switch ( set VLAN 10) between ONT and Nest router

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-Gigabit-Ethernet-Managed-GS105Ev2/dp/B002YPJ8KM/ref%3Dmp_s_a_1_3?crid=3R47PO1N4PF9U&keywords=netgear+managed+switch&qid=1638464126&sprefix=Netgear+mana%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-3

this one will do for Nest router.

dam099

If you can connect the Deco's with Ethernet they can do more than 150Mbs too, possible to get 300-400Mbs from them. Agree with Wireless backhaul they are much slower.

peter_h1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118257922#Comment_118257922

Thanks for the info. I haven't used Amazon warehouse before, I didnt know there were such good savings.

I will go down the fritzbox route. I would love to ditch the ISP router entirely but my wife is obsessed with having a landline for "emergencies".

peter_h1979

Just an update, I rang pure and they agreed immediately to send out a fritzbox. Hopefully this solves the issue.

Thanks for everyone's input.

alec76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118262112#Comment_118262112

Glad you got sorted , CS from Pure are pretty good.

Let us know how Fritzbox compare to F2000 :)

peter_h1979

So got the fritzbox delivered and setup.

I tested using 2 laptops (a work laptop and my own gaming laptop) and 1 phone (A21s) On the both laptops I was getting 400+ downstairs in most areas (in one room near the back of the house I'm getting 300+, which I'm okay with). Upstairs on both laptops I'm getting 400+ on the landing and 2 of the kids bedrooms, I get 300+ in the master bedroom, again I'm happy with this speed.

The phone was getting around 220 (dropping to about 120 in the areas where the laptops dropped to 300+). Oddly enough the top speed of 220 is still about 20 Mbps lower than the VM hub but I'm putting that down to the fact the phone is budget phone and I will be upgrading it next year anyway.

So far so good the Fritzbox is a huge improvement over the F2000.

The issue however is my home office. My work laptop when docked in the office falls to about 120 download. Using WIFI analyzer on my phone I was able to see the signal strength drops significantly in the home office. When the FTTH was installed it had to be brought in through the front hallway (where as VM was brought in to the sitting room. It looks like the sitting room was the sweet spot for overall signal coverage. I can still work with 120 in the office and I'm not sure I want to shell out for a mesh system right now just for 1 room. Also there is a good chance I will be doing serious extension work on the house next year and part of that work may involve running some cables (also I will be moving the office to one of the other rooms that currently gets 400+).

Thanks for everyone's input.

alec76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118277739#Comment_118277739

Good news , couldn’t you just shift Fritzbox from hallway to sitting room ?

All you need is longer CAT5e ( or better ) cable . You just swap this cable with current one connecting ONT- Fritzbox .

peter_h1979

Yeah I'm aware thats an option (one of the benefits of FTTH) however a ethernet cable running from the hallway to the sitting room could be a hard sell to the wife. It would have to be a neat trunking job which is not a skillset I have.

CtrlAltDelete

Hello all, While searching for information I found this thread. You guys seem to know your stuff so I would appreciate your advice.

The background: I was using an unlocked Huawei B315s-22 router with a 48 sim as it was the best speed/price prior to fibre being available in the area. Last week I got FTTH installed with Pure Telecom ( I know they have mixed reviews but for now lets park that topic ). I received the HG659b F2000 router.

It is working but I am getting circa 70mb download on it via my PC ( wifi). When I run the network cable directly to the PC I am getting 456mb.

When I connect with my phone to the wifi I am getting 150mb+ download. So I have the following questions.

1. Would I see a big improvement if I requested the Fritzbox router? Are they still offering them?
2. Would the Huawei B315s-22 be any better than either the Fritzbox or the F2000 if I reconfigured it?
3. What network is Pure even on if I was to reconfigure it?
4. I notice when I log into the HG659b F2000 there is a 2.4 & 5g option? Does it automatically pick one? They both show up and I would prefer to just have the one so that I can rename it and change the password - just easier when friends call round etc.
5. Is my phone likely to be connecting to the 2.4 or the 5g?
6. The entire system is set up in the office upstairs. Reason I am trying to get the best wifi I can is because I want it downstairs in the sitting room. I actually purchased a pair of TP-Link TL-PA7010 powerline adaptors prior to getting the FTTH but I failed to get them working properly when I attempted to set them up.They wouldn't seem to locate the network for some reason. Could I utilise those now if I got them working?

I know that is a lot of questions and my knowledge isn't super but I hope some of you guys can help out & help me get it all working optimally.

peter_h1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118285789#Comment_118285789

I can answer some of your questions.

I rang Pure last week and asked if they could send me a fritzbox based on the fact the existing Virgin Hub was out performing it. They agreed to do without any fight (their customer support so far has been very good).

I noticed a huge difference between it and the f2000, however only after logging into the fritzbox and selected the "Different names for the Wi-Fi networks on 2.4 and 5 GHz" option under the WIFI Network tab. This way you will be able to manually pick wither the 2.4 GHz or 4 GHz network.

Regarding the Powerline adapters, they are effectively plug and play. If you plug them in and your not able to connect between them chances are its something to do with your electrical wiring (or both plugs your using on the same ring/circuit). With out a more detailed description other than "failed to locate the network" its hard to comment further. While Powerline adapters are useful for hard to reach areas their throughput can be very unpredictable (they are useful if you only need a reliable connection but not huge speeds, such as TV's or consoles).

The only real 2 solutions are physically running cables or a good mesh system like the orbis that were discussed earlier. A good mesh system isn't cheap but is a good investment for the future.

CtrlAltDelete

Thanks for your reply Peter.

So when you log in and select the 2.4Ghz or the 4Ghz is it a case of trying either one ? At present on the router i have both seem to be on?

The model of powerline adaptors I have are range boosting ones & it was that aspect I could seem to get working. They were working ok as plug and play. I had a previous pair and they worked fine but got these this time for the wifi range extension element.

I am not in any way familiar with a mesh system. At present we are renting but have a new build on the horizon next year so I have a lot of research to do.

peter_h1979

Sorry when I was talking about separating the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands I was referring to the Fritzbox. Regarding the F2000. On the back of the router you should see 2 network ID's. One ends in 5 GHz and one ends in 2.4 GHz. When you connect a device to the WIFi network you pick which one you want. The device will always connect to that network when in range.

If you replace the F2000 with the Fritzbox there is only WIFI network but its broadcast on both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz. If you swap the router I recommend you login to the router and split the 1 WIFI network into 2 (a 5 GHz and a 2.4 GHz).

In case your not aware, the difference between the 2 bands is as follows. 5 GHz has a short range than 2.4 GHz but is capable of much faster speeds where as the 2.4 GHz band has a longer range but is much slower. You generally only see the 2.4 GHz band used for devices that don't require much bandwidth such as smart devices, kindles and so on).

Thanks for the clarification on the Powerline adapters. I've not used the ones with built in wifi before. They tend to be a poor solution. They extend yout WIFI by rebroadcasting the signal which results in a big loss in bandwidth. In the past I found the best use of Powerline adapters was using them in conjunction with an access point configured with the same SSID and password as your router.

Mesh system have effectively replaced the use of Powerline adapters and AP's. Instead of simply broadcasting the same WIFI network like an AP all the nodes in a mesh network are connected and have special intelligence built in to them that makes it 1 big network. Mesh systems usually come in packs of 2 or 3. You configure 1 main unit connected to your router (or replacing your router if you wish) you then place the other satellite units around your house maximizing coverage. The good ones are expensive but they are a good investment and perfect if your renting as you don't need to run cables and you can take them with you to the new build.

This is one is one of the best on the market at the moment

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Tri-Band-Satellite-Repeater-coverage-RBK50-100PES/dp/B01KJ59JBG/ref%3Dsr_1_3?crid=58HA7BL9DY3M&keywords=orbi%2Brbk50&qid=1638462934&s=computers&sprefix=orbi%2Brbk%2Caps%2C222&sr=1-3&th=1

These are an cheaper alternative but you will only get about 150 Mbps out of each node. I've used them before. They are easy to setup and good if you only care about maximizing coverage but you wont get the most out of your 500 Mbps download.

If your doing a new build the best advice is to run network cables everywhere you can. Remember wired is always better than WIFI so if your building from scratch you have a great opportunity build a solid wired network in your house (that is an entirely different topic that deserves its own thread).

Hope this helps.